Chennai, Jan 7 : Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has urged Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to intervene immediately and reschedule the UGC-NET examination, currently planned from January 3 to January 16, as it coincides with the Pongal festival in Tamil Nadu and similar harvest festivals in other states.

This is the first time the National Testing Agency (NTA), which conducts the UGC-NET examination, has scheduled the national-level test during this period of the year.

In a letter addressed to the Union Education Minister on Tuesday, CM Stalin emphasised the cultural and traditional significance of Pongal, describing it as 'not just a festival but a total embodiment of Tamil culture and traditional heritage that spans over 3,000 years.'

The Chief Minister noted that the Tamil Nadu Higher Education Minister had already raised the matter with the Union Minister on December 23, shortly after the NTA released the exam schedule.

He also pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government has declared public holidays from January 14 to January 17 to mark the harvest festival.

'If the proposed NET exam is held during the Pongal holidays as scheduled, it will cause significant hardship to many candidates,' CM Stalin said in the letter.

He highlighted that the Chartered Accountants Foundation Examination, scheduled for January 2025, had already been rescheduled in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana to accommodate Pongal and Makar Sankranti festivities.

Stalin urged the Union Minister to consider rescheduling the UGC-NET and other national-level examinations to ensure that students and scholars from Tamil Nadu and other states celebrating harvest festivals could appear for the exams without difficulties.

It is worth noting that Tamil Nadu CPI(M) leader and Member of Parliament (MP) Su Venkatesan, along with state Higher Education Minister Govi Chezhiaan, had earlier brought up this issue with the Union Minister. However, there has been no response from the Centre so far.

Pongal, one of Tamil Nadu's most significant festivals, is marked by the state government's distribution of gift hampers to ration cardholders.

This year, the gift hampers will include Rs. 1,000 in cash, 1 kg of rice, sugar, tamarind, sugarcane, and 21 other essential festival items.

To streamline the distribution and avoid overcrowding, the government is considering direct bank transfers for the cash component. If challenges arise with bank transfers, funds will be distributed through ration shops, as has traditionally been done, with special tokens issued to beneficiaries.

The Tamil Nadu government has allocated Rs. 100 crore for the production of 1.77 crore dhotis and an equal number of sarees, which will be distributed to ration cardholders and beneficiaries under the Old Age Pension Scheme.

This year's production marks a significant increase, with 77 lakh more dhotis and 53 lakh more sarees compared to the previous year.

The government has also decided to use cotton yarn for the 2024-25 production cycle and introduce polyester yarn for the 2025-26 cycle, benefiting 63,000 power looms across the state.

/IANS